The Great Quell (poem)

By Luke Labern

The black and white will have their way with you.
Do trust a killer; kill, as only you
Know how to turn a thought into an action.
If only compensation could be found
For the things that have befallen you!
The answer lies within: as the years
Have passed, and taken much from you,
So they have taught you all you need to know.
Numb limbs, ringing ears, clutched thoughts and hatred borne—
Yes, even these can be overcome. Yes, even you.
Don't stop what you know is right
Even if you start to wander onto bleaker paths:
No one will catch you (they might even slide the knife in)
And so it's up to you and you alone
To grasp your sanity by the throat
And choke out the envy of a better time.
Squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze,
Until the veins are plush to the touch.
Just when it looks as though the worst is yet to come,
The hatred dies. The battle is already won.